The marquee game was obviously Easton’s win over Salmen Wednesday night, but the one that shook up the Starting Five a little bit was McDonogh #35’s second win over Helen Cox, giving the Roneagles the fourth slot and dropping Cox to fifth.

In small schools, the top five held their ground and top-ranked West St. John will enter the playoffs as the favorites to win a Class 1A state championship.

LARGE SCHOOLS STARTING FIVE

1. Warren Easton (29-2, last week: No. 1)

The Eagles made a serious statement in beating Salmen by 15 points Wednesday night.

2. Salmen (25-3, last week: No. 2)

Salmen didn’t show its best in the loss to Easton, but the Spartans are still the second-best team in the region and absolutely have a chance at a state title.

3. Ponchatoula (22-5, last week: No. 3)

This team has been hot for two months now and is the region’s top 5A squad heading into the playoffs.

4. McDonogh #35 (19-10, last week: No. 5)

The Roneagles stunned Helen Cox again on Thursday in double overtime, their second win against a very good Cougars team.

5. Helen Cox (24-6, last week: No. 4)

Another loss to McDonogh #35 stings Cox’s pride, but this veteran team could go deep in Class 4A.

Off the bench: No. 6 Dominican (22-7, last week: No. 6) finished with a win over Chalmette and is playing with confidence. … No. 7 Mandeville (24-5, last week: No. 7) capped off a very solid season. … No. 8 Mt. Carmel (19-10, last week: No. 8) edged Chapelle in its season finale. … No. 9 Cabrini (19-11, last week: No. 9) is capable of playoff upsets. … No. 10 East St. John (22-8, last week: No. 10) got hot at the right time.

SMALL SCHOOLS STARTING FIVE

1. West St. John (25-1, last week: No. 1)

A win over Ascension Catholic gives the Rams an undefeated district season. Next stop: Class 1A state championship?

2. John Curtis (20-7, last week: No. 2)

Curtis had no problem with Riverside on Friday and swept through its district season.

3. Riverside (17-7, last week: No. 3)

A loss to Curtis doesn’t drop the Rebels in the rankings. But is this young team mature enough to go deep in the 2A playoffs?

4. De La Salle (20-6, last week: No. 4)

With a nice win over Xavier Prep, the Cavaliers now have 16 consecutive victories. Why are they not in the top 15 of the LHSAA’s 3A poll?

5. Country Day (15-8, last week: No. 5)

Country Day is peaking as the team heads for the 1A playoffs.

Off the bench: No. 6 Thomas Jefferson (18-10, last week: No. 6) has height, which could give the Jaguars an edge in the playoffs. … No. 7 St. Martin’s Episcopal (19-11, last week: No. 7) closed out its season with a win over Houma Christian. … No. 8 St. Mary’s (14-7, last week: No. 8) finished with a win, but is probably a year away from legitimate contention. … Don’t be deceived by No. 9 Haynes’ (13-15, last week: No. 10) record. Not a bad team at all. … No. 10 Xavier Prep (16-14, last week: No. 9) lost to De La Salle, but beat Landry.